Application of retrosigmoid sinus approach in Bonebridge implantation.

BACKGROUND: Bonebridge is an suitable option for conductive hearing loss, however, the traditional approach cannot accomplished a satisfying implantation for patients with congenital malformation or radical mastoidectomy.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the clinical application of retrosigmoid sinus approach in Bonebridge implantation and postoperative evaluation.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: 11 patients who underwent retrosigmoid sinus approach Bonebridge implantation from March 2016 to September 2019 were retrospectively analyzed, including 6 males and 5 females, aged 12-54 years old (30.6 in average). Among them, 4 cases had undergone bilateral radical mastoidectomy, 6 cases had bilateral congenital aural atresia or stenosis, and 1 case had unilateral congenital aural atresia.

RESULTS: All patients underwent Bonebridge implantation through retrosigmoid sinus approach according to the preoperative image reconstruction and plan. There was no surgical injury of sigmoid sinus or cerebrospinal fluid leakage during the operation. The aided threshold obtained an increase of 32.32 dB HL; the speech recognition rates of bisyllabic words, monosyllabic words and sentence were 79.6%, 67.8% and 75.0%, respectively. After 11-53 months of follow-up, the hearing effect was stable and no long-term complications occurred.

CONCLUSION: The retrosigmoid sinus approach is an effective surgical approach for patients with congenital ear deformities or radical cavity after mastoidectomy.